Fluid seal



Dec. 17, 1963 G. D. RHoADs ETAL 3,114,558

FLUID SEAL Original Filed July l. 1957 INVENTORS GEORGE D. RHOADS GEORGEL. COR Sl bwl BY 2 Al IORNEYS United States Patent Oilflce 3,114,558Patented Dec. 17, 1963 3,114,5ss FLUID SEAL George D. Rhoads, RedwoodCity, Calif., and George L.

Corsi, Detroit, Mich., assignors to Federal-Mogul- Bower Bearings, lne.,Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan @riginal application July 1,1957, Ser. No. 699,018, now Patent No. 3,011,814, dated Dec. 8, 1961.Divided and this application July 10, 1961, Ser. No. 130,715

Z Claims. (Cl. 277-37) This invention relates to an improvedfluid-sealing device. This application is a division of applicationSerial Number 669,018, lled July 1, 1957, now U.S. Patent No. 3,011,814.

One important application of this new device is in sealing oil in thebearings of rear-wheel axles of automotive trucks. Since thatapplication illustrates the nature and type of many of the problemssolved by this invention, it will be used as an illustrative example.However, the principles of the invention are obviously not confined tothis one particular application; so no limitation on this invention isintended by use of this example.

1n the past, oil seals wore deep grooves into truck-rearwheel axlehousings. Replaceable metal wear sleeves were resorted to, but theythemselves gave rise to problems. For one thing, their installation,removal, and replacement was difficult and time-consuming. An old wearsleeve was either split by a cold chisel, or driven olf the axle in anoperation that often took a quarter of an hour or longer. Then the newwear sleeve had to be driven on. The requirement of a tight press titusually called for heating the new sleeve, driving it on the axle, andshrinking it into a tight fit at the desired location. This took anotherfifteen minutes or so and was in addition to the time it took to put inthe new oil seal. Moreover, installation and removal resulted in scoringthe axle housing, and the new wear ring itself was often scratched andscored during installation. Such damage to the wear ring often resultedin a surface that made accurate sealing impossible, and the seal leakedthrough no fault of the oil-sealing element, the leakage occuringbetween the wear ring and the axle housing.

Being a separate piece, the wear rings were shipped, stored, catalogued,and sold separately. Not only was this a nuisance and added expense, butthe handling required was another cause of damage to the sealingsurface. Furthermore, the wear rings were often made by a differentmanufacturer than the oil seals and, in that event, the oil-sealmanufacturer had no control over the quality of the surface againstwhich his product had to seal.

An object of the present invention is to provide a unitary devicecombining a novel type of wear sleeve with the oil seal as a separatelyrotatable but still integral part thereof.

Another object is to provide an assembly incorporating both the oil sealand wear ring in a unit that remains together during shipment,installation, operation, and removal.

Another object is to simplify installation and removal of the oil sealand wear ring and to safeguard the sealing surfaces during installation.

In general, the unit of this invention comprises a cupshaped rigid casewith a pair of spaced-apart radial flanges joined by a cylindrical wallthat is itself adapted for a press lit into a housing bore. Anoil-sealing member is supported in the case in a leak-tight tit, itssealing lip lying in between the radial flanges and opposite thecylindrical Wall. A wear sleeve is also provided, comprising aresilient, shaft-engaging member adapted for a pressfit with the axle orother shaft, and a rigid reinforcing member with a cylindrical outerperiphery that is engaged by the sealing lip in a rotating, oil-sealingrelationship. The rigid member has at least a substantial portion whichhas a larger diameter than the inner pierce of the radial flanges of thecase, and it is located between these flanges, the axial extent of thisportion being shorter than the distance between the langes but notunduly so. As a result, the wear sleeve cannot come out of the case andis always in engagement with the oil-sealing lip. The whole is made,sold, delivered, installed, operated, and removed as a unit. The use ofthe resilient, inner, shaftengaging member simplies installation andremoval without in the least impairing the operation of the device.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will a pear from thefollowing description of some illustrative examples.

The drawing is an enlarged fragmentary View in elevation and in sectionof a portion of a rear-wheel truck bearing installation in which thedevice of the present invention is installed.

Referring to the drawing, a radial shaft seal 6i) has its sealingelement 61 bonded to an intermediate element 62 of a tripartitecup-shaped rigid case 63, preferably of metal. This type of oil seal isnot essential and is merely one example of a suitable oil seal. The caseo3 also includes a pair of radial flanges 64 and 65, with pierces on and67, and a cylindrical wall 68, that fits in a bore 69. A rigid wear ring70, preferably of steel, is stepped to provide a cylindrical portion 71engaged by the Sealing lip 72, the portion 71 being of greater diameterthan the pierces 66 and 67. There is also a cylindrical portion 73 ofsmaller diameter than the pierce 65 that extends out beyond the sealcase 63 into engagement with a radial edge 74 of a bearing cone 75.Thus, during installation of this seal the cone 75 prevents the step 76from engaging the radial flange 64. During removal, the portion '73helps drive out the bearing 77. An elastomer lining '78 engages the axlehousing 79 in a press llt. It may be made from any suitableoil-resistant elastomer such as neoprene or other synthetic rubber; forpurposes not involving oil, other materials are also suitable. Itshould, however, be resilient. The shaft interference of the lining 7Swith the axle housing '79 should be enough to aS- sure against leakageor rotation but with less friction than the interference of the casecylindrical portion 68 with its bore 69.

To those skilled in the art to which this invention relates, manyadditional changes in construction and Widely dilering embodiments ofthe invention will suggest themselves without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

What is claimed is:

l. An assembly for sealing between a bore and a shaft, including incombination: a rigid case having a pair of spaced-apart radial flangesjoined by a radially outer cylindrical wall adapted for press fit intosaid bore; an annular radial shaft seal supported in said case in aleaktight lt therewith and having an annular sealing lip opposite saidcylindrical wall and between said radial flanges; and a wear sleevehaving a resilient portion providing a radially inner periphery andadapted for a nonrotating it on said shaft, and having a rigid metalreinforcing portion stepped to provide a cylindrical portion and anaxially extending portion of smaller diameter than both said cylindricalportion and one of said radial flanges, said cylindrical portion havinga radially outer periphery, the diameter of said outer periphery beinggreater than that of the inner peripheries of said spacedapart radialflanges, the axial length of said outer periphery being shorter than thedistance between said radial flanges, said cylindrical portion beingpositioned between said flanges with said sealing lip engaging its saidouter periphery being thereby trapped in said case between said anges soas to unitize said case, seal, and wear sleeve into a single assembly,said axially extending portion projecting out through and beyond saidone radial flange to limit axial movement thereof upon engagementagainst something, thereby spacing said seal away from that thing.

2. An assembly for sealing between a bore and a shaft wherein the shaftis provided with shoulder means adjacent an inner end to which saidassembly is to extend, said assembly including in combination: a rigidcase having a pair of spaced-apart radial flanges joined by a radiallyouter cylindrical wall adapted for press t into said bore, one of saidbore and said case having stop means for limiting the insertion of saidcase into said bore at a point where said case has been inserted adistance short of said shoulder; an annular radial shaft seal supportedin said case in a leak-tight t therewith and having an annular sealinglip opposite said cylindrical wall and between said radial anges; and awear sleeve having a resilient portion providing a radially innerperiphery and adapted for a non-rotating t on said shaft, and having arigid metal reinforcing portion stepped to provide a cylindrical portionand an axially extending portion of smaller diameter than saidcylindrical portion and of smaller diameter than one of said radialilanges, said cylindrical portion having a radially outer periphery,engaged by said lip, the diameter of said outer periphery being greaterthan that of the inner peripherics of said spaced-apart radial anges,the axial length of said outer periphery being shorter than the distancebetween said radial flanges, said cylindrical portion being positionedbetween said flanges, said cylindrical portion thereby being trapped insaid case between said anges so as to unitize said case, seal, and wearsleeve into a single assembly, said axially extending portion projectingout through and beyond said one radial ange and into contact with saidshoulder means thereby spacing said seal from said shoulder means.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

1. AN ASSEMBLY FOR SEALING BETWEEN A BORE AND A SHAFT, INCLUDING INCOMBINATION: A RIGID CASE HAVING A PAIR OF SPACED-APART RADIAL FLANGESJOINED BY A RADIALLY OUTER CYLINDRICAL WALL ADAPTED FOR PRESS FIT INTOSAID BORE; AN ANNULAR RADIAL SHAFT SEAL SUPPORTED IN SAID CASE IN ALEAKTIGHT FIT THEREWITH AND HAVING AN ANNULAR SEALING LIP OPPOSITE SAIDCYLINDRICAL WALL AND BETWEEN SAID RADIAL FLANGES; AND A WEAR SLEEVEHAVING A RESILIENT PORTION PROVIDING A RADIALLY INNER PERIPHERY ANDADAPTED FOR A NONROTATING FIT ON SAID SHAFT, AND HAVING A RIGID METALREINFORCING PORTION STEPPED TO PROVIDE A CYLINDRICAL PORTION AND ANAXIALLY EXTENDING PORTION OF SMALLER DIAMETER THAN BOTH SAID CYLINDRICALPORTION AND ONE OF SAID RADIAL FLANGES, SAID CYLINDRICAL PORTION HAVINGA RADIALLY OUTER PERIPHERY, THE DIAMETER OF SAID OUTER PERIPHERY BEINGGREATER THAN THAT OF THE INNER PERIPHERIES OF SAID SPACEDAPART RADIALFLANGES, THE AXIAL LENGTH OF SAID OUTER PERIPHERY BEING SHORTER THAN THEDISTANCE BETWEEN SAID RADIAL FLANGES, SAID CYLINDRICAL PORTION BEINGPOSITIONED BETWEEN SAID FLANGES WITH SAID SEALING LIP ENGAGING ITS SAIDOUTER PERIPHERY BEING THEREBY TRAPPED IN SAID CASE BETWEEN SAID FLANGESSO AS TO UNITIZE SAID CASE, SEAL, AND WEAR SLEEVE INTO A SINGLEASSEMBLY, SAID AXIALLY EXTENDING PORTION PROJECTING OUT THROUGH ANDBEYOND SAID ONE RADIAL FLANGE TO LIMIT AXIAL MOVEMENT THEREOF UPONENGAGEMENT AGAINST SOMETHING, THEREBY SPACING SAID SEAL AWAY FROM THATTHING.